I was catching the bus in the employee lot at DTW today to start a 3 day trip, and I saw taxiing an Air India 747-400 off the runway. We were preparing for departure I look over at the Berry Terminal and it was docked at the far gate next to the mx hanger. What was it doing there? It arrived at about 6:30pm EDT.

This diversion to DTW make me think that also Detroit could have more intercontinental flights! Are you agree with me? Sorry but I'm speaking as italian and I don't know very well the american cities and their economies...so I know ORD being one of the biggest world's airport but speaking about the cities which is the biggest one (between Chicago and Detroit?)
Bye

Don't use Flytecomm for diversions, they are terrible at that. Two weeks ago I was trying to look up a United Express CRJ that landed at DAB and Flytecomm showed nothing about it. I went to Flightarrivals.com to find it was a diversion for weather at JAX.

As for the size difference between Chicago and Detroit, Chicago is considerably bigger. I think Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the US after New York and LA, while Detroit (who used to be the fifth only about 15 years ago) is now at least #10, although I wouldn't be surprised if Detroit's suburban population isn't that far behind Chicago.

I really don't see Air India regularly fly to DTW. NW flight 67 flies from Mumbai to DTW with a stop in AMS. Detroit area has a decent sized Indian population especially in suburbs of Novi and Northville and Canton, but not enough for Air India to also fly here.

Any International growth most likely will be to the Mideast with Detroit having the largest Muslim and Arabic population in the USA. Royal Jordanian is the only carrier that flies to the Mideast from DTW other than Northwest/KLM connections at AMS. Emirates had stated they would like to fly to DTW someday as well as MEA once the sanctions are lifted against them. I recall Northwest also wanting to fly to Baghdad once (more like if) things settle down in Iraq.

You are so right about possible growth from DTW to the middle east....at work, I frequently check Royal Jordanian's twice a week flight from DTW to Amman....always, and I mean always sold out. Of course, that flight originates in Chicago and stops in Detroit, so there are two large metro areas feeding that flight.

Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.....

Flytecomm apparently screwed up the diversion of a Boston-bound Virgin 747-400 recently. You'll see the details in another thread (Virgin to BDL). Flytecomm noted that this aircraft actually landed at Bedford, MA (Hanscom Field) before continuing to Bradley International (Hartford/Springfield). Hanscom is about 15 miles west of Boston, and while the runway can handle a 747 there was one person actually on that Virgin 747-400 who said that they most assuredly did not land at Hanscom...they circled the Boston area for 15 minutes before going directly to Bradley.

AI 127 operating Frankfurt-Chicago diverted to Detroit due w/x in ORD. Aircraft was on ground for approximately 2 hrs before continuing to Chicago.

I think this is the first time that AI has actually gone into Detroit with an ORD diversion. They have gone into Milwaukee at least twice that I know of and one very memorable diversion to Minneapolis about 5 years ago when everything else nearby went to hell.